Any
child who has spent some time in the Neopets community at
Neopets.com will love holding a replica of the virtual pets in
their hands! A new line of voice-activated pets have arrived, and
they're really quite adorable. Each pet is approximately 4 inches
high, colorful, and responds to voices with lights, sound, and
movement. Although they are all similar, each character has unique
responses.

We
took a look at Kacheek (pictured above), Uni, and Mynci. The
Kacheek toy features wiggling ears, light-up cheeks, and plenty of
giggles and laughs. Mynci also has wiggling ears and light-up
cheeks and his head nods too. Uni the unicorn's wings flap (faster
when they are happy) and its horn and mane flash with light.

Each
character has three possible moods, depending on how they are
treated--happy, content, and not-so-happy. It will respond either
with a press of their "talk" button on their tummy or in
reaction to a child's voice. Consecutive loud sounds will make
them a little grumpy, but if you speak in soothing tones, they'll
get back into a happy or content mood. You know when your pet is
not-so-happy because, in the case of Mynci and Kacheek, their
cheeks glow instead of flash and they make complaining sounds. Uni
also complains, and its wings flap more slowly as its horn and
mane glow.

Their microphones are
hidden in their foreheads, but we found the toys to be very
responsive (you don't need to speak directly into the microphone).
The toys "know" if you pick them up or put them down,
and they go into battery-saving "sleep" mode when
they're left alone for a few moments. They also have a switch at
the back. Two NeoPets placed facing each other will
"talk" to each other, and happy Neopets will hum a fun
little tune.

These
toys come with demo batteries, so you're likely to need to replace
the batteries at some point (Duracell 'N' batteries are
recommended). They come attached to platforms that require the use
of a screwdriver to dismantle!

We
fully enjoyed these toys. They will be recognizable to any Neopets
fans, but they are adorable enough little creatures to be enjoyed
by pretty much any young child. Voice-activated Neopets are far
from demanding "pets", so parents need not worry about
young kids becoming anxious about tending to these toys. They are
really quite happy, in general, and Neopets fans (especially
younger ones) will enjoy their little companions.